The Bulgarian, 23, for so long hailed as the heir apparent to 17-time grand slam winner Roger Federer, is ready to finally erase the tag which has haunted him since he first came to prominence -- that of "Baby Fed".

Ranked 13 in the world, Dimitrov gave a performance which left nobody in doubt that he is a serious challenger for the title following a 6-1 7-6 6-2 win over the defending champion.

Never before has Dimitrov gone further than the second round at the All England Club -- now he is just one victory away from a grand slam final.

But the signs had been there. Dimitrov, who won the Queens Club title - a warm-up tournament before Wimbledon - has been improving with each and every match.

He will now play his first ever grand slam semifinal against Novak Djokovic -- the 2011 champion and the tournament's top seed.

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Djokovic, a six-time grand slam champion was given a real scare by Croatia's Marin Cilic before eventually prevailing in five sets -- 6-1 3-6 6-7 6-3 6-2.

Also safely into the final four is the man who many have likened Dimitrov to -- Roger Federer.

The veteran of the All England Club booked a ninth semifinal appearance after beating fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 3-6 7-6 6-4 6-4.

The Australian Open champion was seen by the doctor during the match and faded after a strong start as Federer's supreme ground strokes began to find their range.

Federer, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, said he was pleased to be in the mix after a disappointing 2013 tournament when he was beaten in the second round by Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky.

"I'm just really pleased I'm back strong here at Wimbledon," he told reporters. "Last year I didn't even come close so I was very deflated."

He will face Milos Raonic in the other semifinal, after the No. 8 seed from Canada disposed of Rafa Nadal's conqueror, Nick Kyrgios, 6-7 6-2 6-4 7-6.

Djokovic's game will be firmly tested against Dimitrov -- a man playing with confidence, style and a whole lot of swagger.

Born in Haskovo, Bulgaria, Dimitrov trained at the same tennis academy in Spain as Murray, albeit not at the same time.

The two are known to be friends off the court -- not that there was any sentimentality on show as Dimitrov wielded his racquet like a magician holds his wand.

He began at a rapid pace and never allowed Murray to find a foothold from which he could launch a fightback.

"I'm very disappointed with the way I started. I felt that gave him confidence at the beginning. It's a lot easier to settle down when you're two sets up," Murray, the world No. 5, told the BBC.

"It wasn't a great day. I felt fine in the warm-up but got off to a bad start, which was the disappointing part.

"It wasn't good enough. There is time to come back, but I didn't take my opportunity in the second set.

"He played a very solid match, making few mistakes and a lot of returns. All the percentages were in his favor. I just wish I'd made it tougher for him."

Murray, the man who had cried his way into the nation's hearts after his 2012 final defeat by Federer, dispatched Novak Djokovic in straight sets on to become the first British man to the win the singles title since Fred Perry in 1936.

If the first week of his defense was anything to go by, the expectation was that Murray would reach the semifinal stage at the very least.

He had cruised through his opening four rounds without dropping a set -- a complete contrast to his opponent Dimitrov, who had been forced to scrape and fight through a five-set contest in the third round with Ukraine's Alexander Dolgopolov.

As those with British flags painted on their faces and draped in the Union Jack took their places on Centre Court, a Murray defeat was perhaps the last thing on their minds -- somewhere between a shortage of strawberries and a drought of Pimms.

But after sharing the two opening games, their hero failed -- spectacularly.

Dimitrov won five games in a row to take the first set in 25 minutes and leave those fervent fans in a state of shock.